Medical Coding and Billing

Medical coding and billing is the process of translating information from patient records—treatments, tests, procedures, and diagnoses—into the standardized codes used to bill patients and third-party payers such as insurance companies and Medicare.

The U.S. Department of Labor's 2012-2013 report on the medical records and health information technology field, which encompasses both medical coders and medical billers. The report predicts:

• A growing job market as industry employment is projected to grow by 15% from 2014 to 2024. In addition to these new jobs, there will also be open positions as people retire or leave the profession.
• A high demand for coding services, sustained by an aging population and the increasing number of tests, treatments, and procedures.

In addition to this growth, there is also already an existing shortage of medical coding professionals. This shortage is estimated to be about 30%.

Career Step's training is trusted by many employers, including the leading provider of healthcare services in the U.S. and one of the nation's largest managed healthcare companies. Some of our learners have even been hired to work remotely right after completing their program. Choose the training employers prefer!

Healthcare facilities and providers were required to transition to the ICD-10 code set on October 1, 2015. This was a huge undertaking as the number of codes is increasing (from about 17,000 ICD-9 codes to over 155,000 ICD-10 codes), the specificity of the codes increased, and thousands of personnel had to be trained on the new code set in addition to updating all of the systems that are in place.

These big changes have intensified the need for medical coders nationwide. With Career Step's Professional Medical Coding and Billing with Applied PCS program, you'll gain the knowledge and skills you need to stand out in the job market and excel in this field.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report—encompassing both inpatient and outpatient medical coders and billers—states that the middle 50% of professionals in the field earn between $52,600 and $60,300 annually. However, it is important to remember that as you gain credentials and experience, your earning capacity increases. Industry organizations have published the following average salary information.

The Career Step courses are specifically designed to prepare learners for national, entry-level coding certification exams, even though certification is not always a prerequisite for employment. The exams most commonly taken directly after completing their Career Step training are the Certified Professional Coder (CPC) exam offered by the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC) and the Certified Coding Associate (CCA) exam offered by the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA). Although completing the Career Step medical coding and billing training program does not automatically award you a coding credential, the courses are specifically designed to help you gain the foundation and skills you need to earn the appropriate credentials. In a recent Career Step survey, 90% of respondents who had taken a certification exam after finishing Career Step's training programs reported passing the exam and earning their credential.

Career Step has been providing quality healthcare education for over 20 years, and we've trained over 13,000 medical coding learners since 2004. Our online training format allows you to study at your own pace and on a schedule that fits your busy lifestyle. Our Professional Medical Coding and Billing with Applied PCS course is:

• Employer trusted – Some of the largest and most respected healthcare employers in the nation are using Career Step's program to train their employees. Some of our learners have even been hired to work remotely right after finishing their course. Choose training employers prefer!
• Expert designed – Our program was built by experts who have decades of experience working in and teaching medical coding to ensure you gain the skills you need to excel in this field, and you'll also be trained on ICD-10-PCS codes, which can help you stand out to employers.

With Career Step's Professional Medical Coding and Billing with Applied PCS program, you'll train on the CPT, HCPCS, ICD-10-CM, and ICD-10-PCS code sets. Most entry-level coding programs don't include training on the PCS code set, so this will help you stand out to employers. You'll finish your training prepared to earn national certification and start working right away.

In order to be admitted, you must be at least 18 years of age and have a high school diploma or a General Education Development Certificate (GED). There are no specific skills or experience that are considered prerequisites for entry into the Career Step training program.

The Career Step program is offered entirely online, providing 24/7 access to all material and allowing you to progress through the training on your own schedule and at your own pace. The program is broken into modules, or course subjects, and has been designed by experts with decades of experience working in and teaching medical coding. This experience has led us to a 3-part program design:

1. Foundations – This first section of the program will show you things like computer fundamentals, the health information management process, and reimbursement methodologies to ensure you thoroughly understand how medical coding fits within healthcare and have the basics down.
2. Biomedical sciences – In order to correctly assign codes, you'll need a good understanding of medical terminology, anatomy, pathophysiology, and pharmacology, and this section of the course shows all of that from a coding perspective.
3. Code training – This final section introduces you to all of the different code sets and shows you how to use them. You'll practice coding actual medical records and reports (provided by our employer partners) and use the 3M encoding software so you have lots of hands-on experience and finish your training ready to earn your credential and start working.

We've specifically designed this program to ensure you gain exactly the skills you need to start working as a medical coder, and with our applied PCS training you'll stand out to employers.

Some of the largest and most respected names in healthcare (including the leading provider of healthcare services in the U.S. and one of the nation's largest managed healthcare companies) use our training to train their employees. Some of our learners have even been hired to work remotely right after completing their training.

Career Step support includes access to:

• Technical Support Advisors who are knowledgeable, experienced, and available six days a week to help you work through any technical or computer issues encountered within the training program.

Though the course is entirely online, you'll never be on your own. Career Step's support team is available to offer personal, ongoing support all the way through the training program.

The Professional Medical Coding and Billing with Applied PCS program includes 640 hours of training. Since the program is completely self-paced and the online training format allows you the flexibility to study as much or as little as your schedule allows, the time it takes you to complete the course will vary. Some learners are able to complete their training program in as little as 4 months (working on the course full-time, 8 hours a day 5 days a week) and others, who are more limited in the time they can devote to the course, take longer (for example, learners who can devote about 20 hours a week may finish in about 8 months).

Every learner who signs up with Career Step's Professional Medical Coding and Billing with Applied PCS program receives an initial 12-month period of training. Though the programs are designed to be completed in 4 months of full-time study, you'll have a full year to complete your training. If you need extra time to complete the course after your initial one-year training, we have 4-month extensions available for purchase.

Your program includes everything you will need to train for a successful career in medical coding and billing. Your training includes:

• Access to expert-created training
• Complete library of industry standard codebooks
• Access to 3M encoding software
• Online access to the 3M reference library (includes over $1500 worth of references)
• Technical support